DURHAM &GT;&GT; The Durham High football team was just a few mistakes short of glory in the 2013 season.

Given that it was the Trojans' first under coach Dan Henry, and that they began the season on an 0-2 slide, there is reason to believe Durham could find itself competing in the postseason once more after finishing the season 8-4, finally dispatched by Winters in the Division III semifinal.

"It was exciting, but also disappointing because I felt that team was good enough to win the section," Henry said. "The game against Winters, we beat ourselves. There's a chip on my shoulder personally, and the same for the seniors on this team this year. We felt like we could have won the section with that team."

That said, Henry is optimistic that this year's Durham squad is built for success, too. He's been impressed with the speed at his skill positions, and the offense will probably see even more tweaks based on personnel, a Henry staple — last year's team operated with a bit more weight on the line; this year, the pace at receiver and in the backfield is increased.

Another interesting attribute of the Trojans, especially offensively, is how the team's depth will operate. It won't be uncommon for Durham to employ multiple quarterbacks over the course of the game, with Brycen Buck and Zach Argo sharing reps there, and that means plenty of opportunities elsewhere, too: Buck can line up at wideout with Nick Albert and speedy Joe Murphy; Hayden Southam and Nick Majers will tote the ball as fullbacks and Jack Murphy and Southam will also run from the "2-back" position in Henry's offense.

"We're different from play to play because we have so many great skill position players," he said. "We're firm believers in rewarding hard work, and with the number of guys we have working hard, we're going to find ways to get them in so they can contribute."

That just leaves the issue of those mistakes Henry mentioned, which all but evaporated as Durham had a streak in which it won eight of its last nine to close out the regular season, only to pop up on a critical stage against Winters. Buck remembers that game well: He was ejected from that game, one the Trojans lost 21-6 but that could have been much different with just a few plays made.

"I didn't get to finish my last game, so I'm ready to get back this year," Buck said. "This team will be ready this year. We've been working a lot on staying calm and remembering what our goals are."

How easy that will be to do, given the reset button that always comes with a year of turnover and a brand-new season, is yet to be seen, of course. Durham is anticipating an opening slate of games against as many as three Division II schools, depending on how the finishing scheduling touches shake out, and of course there is the matter of readjusting the entire offense and defense.

"It's back to square one, but we always learn from our mistakes, not our successes," Henry said. "The neat thing so far is that every day we have gotten better in some aspect or another. This is a very focused team about what we want to do. Everybody's ready for football."